Ginger has long been a culinary ingredient, enjoyed particularly for the flavor it provides. Native to southern Asia, ginger is a 2- to 4-foot perennial that produces grass-like leaves up to a foot long and almost an inch wide. Ginger root, as it is called in the grocery store, consists of the underground stem of the plant, with its bark-like outer covering scraped off. Ginger has long been used as a health supplement for humans.
Ginger's modern use dates back to the early 1880s, when it was noticed that ginger-filled capsules reduced nausea during flu. Ginger was then approved as a treatment for indigestion and motion sickness. Ginger has since become widely accepted as a treatment for human nausea. Even some conventional medical texts suggest ginger for the treatment of the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, although others are more cautious.
Accordingly, the inventors have developed pet food compositions including ginger, which are useful in treating inflammatory conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders and arthritis, and for improvement of the well-being of companion animals, for example, cats and dogs.